Comforting Loyalty
by eruditeamber
Summary: Cho runs into Ron in the hallway after facing Harry about Marietta's tattling, and Ron surprises us all.  Nothing bad!  Only comfort and one tiny thing at the end.  Enjoy!  Oneshot


Disclaimer: These characters are the property of J.K. Rowling, and if they weren't Remus and Tonks would have lived to raise Teddy.

As Cho ran along the hallway, she didn't take notice of the person standing to the side a little farther down, watching her. She was so terribly upset.

_Stupid Marietta! I can't believe she told! I knew she was a little frightened, but I never thought she'd rat us all out! _

And Harry had reacted exactly as she had known he would, exactly how he should. In fact, he had the right to be a lot angrier, but she had to be loyal to her friend. Cho had never been able to show disloyalty to any of her friends because they had always been there for her. She had hoped so dearly that Harry would have been able to look in her eyes and see that, beneath her agitated demeanor and 'Don't blame Marietta' talk, she herself was angry with Marietta.

Cho looked up suddenly and noticed Ronald Weasley. He was standing and staring at her with a mixed expression of concern and bewilderment.

"Ron?"

"Hi Cho. I was…um…well…are you alright?"

_Why would Ron Weasley be the least concerned about me? He's Harry's best friend!_

However, since she knew that she had to look a mess with her tear stained cheeks and trembling lips, she took it as gracious courtesy.

"Honestly Ron, I've been better, but I'm okay," she managed a watery smile.

"Listsen Cho, Harry's taking this whole thing a lot better than I would, and I know that I should be upset, but it's hard for me to be angry with you, especially when you didn't actually do anything wrong. You were only standing up for your best friend. I would have done the same thing for Harry even if he was wrong; even if I was angry with him myself."

"You…you know that I'm angry with Marietta?"

Ron smiled. "It's not that hard to see. All I had to do was look in your eyes."

Cho's heartbeat sped up a little. Ron had just given her a lot of information. First of all, he found it hard to be angry with her. Did that mean what she thought it meant? Second of all, Ron, the one with no special intellectual or athletic ability, had done the one thing that she had been desperately hoping Harry would be able to do. He had seen beyond her loyalty to a friend to her anger at that very same friend. Had the world just turned upside down?

Ron cleared his throat, bringing Cho back to present reality.

"Cho, I know that you've been through a lot, and I know that I basically suck when it comes to saying things the right way, but I just felt like I had to let you know…well…I dunno."

"You just had to let me know that you understood the way I was feeling, even if no one else did."

Ron breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, that's about it."

Cho looked up at Ron expectantly, thinking he would say 'well, bye then' or something, but he didn't. Something was holding him back.

"Uh, Ron? Is there anything else you wanted to say?"

"No, no, there's nothing else I want to _**say**_."

And before Cho could even draw a breath she was pulled into a wonderful, delicious, elemental kiss and embrace that made her head spin pleasantly.

_Well, here's one thing that Ron Weasley can do well…_

Well indeed. Slowly he released her, and both of them were breathing raggedly.

"Cho, listen to me, that wasn't…I mean that I don't like…not that I don't like you, but it was just meant as a well…a comfort thing."

Cho smiled radiantly. All her tears were gone and her lips no longer trembled.

"Thanks a lot Ron. I think the comfort thing worked, because I feel loads better."

They smiled warmly at each other, and Cho turned to leave.

"Hey Cho?"

"Yeah Ron?"

"That was my first kiss."

Cho laughed out loud freely for the first time since Cedric's death.

"You could've fooled me."

They went their separate ways: two people who had just learned that they had at least one thing in common—loyalty was their strongest trait.

As Cho walked into the Ravenclaw common room a thought hit her that made her smile.

_Ron comforted my loyalty, but he also managed to comfort grief that has been making me ache for a year._

Hey guys! I know this is simple and maybe pointless, but it's my first fanfic and I didn't even mean to write it. It just came to me and I felt I had to post it as my first. Please review and give me feedback and maybe some suggestions about my next fic. I should warn you though, I do not usually write about Cho. She's just not one of my favorite characters. I hope you didn't hate it!


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